Proper movement and placement (referred to collectively as positioning) of medical devices, such as needles, catheters, drills, saws and even scalpels, is often critical in the proper performance of certain medical procedures. For example, a physician may wish to obtain a tissue sample from a small tumor or cyst in order to determine if the growth is malignant. Accordingly, a needle biopsy procedure may be performed in which the physician percutaneously extracts a tissue sample. It is critical, however, that the physician actually extract a tissue sample of the growth rather than nearby tissue. Likewise, such a growth may be found within or near other tissue structure which is subject to damage by misplaced or misguided medical devices, such a needle used in a biopsy procedure.
Accordingly, physicians often employ feedback techniques to assist them in the proper positioning of medical devices. For example, an ultrasound imaging system may be utilized to provide a visual representation of sub-dermal structure (e.g., the aforementioned growth and surrounding tissue) as well as real-time movement of a medical device (e.g., the aforementioned needle) penetrating the sub-dermal space. Accordingly, the physician often looks at a screen while trying to manually position a medical device, and thus does not look directly at the device. This is difficult at best and sometimes results in improper angles of attack and could result in improper placement of the medical device. Moreover, it is often necessary for the physician to manipulate a plurality of instruments, such as an ultrasound transducer and the needle, while looking at the screen, thereby adding to the difficulty of the procedure.
Apparatuses have been developed to assist in the proper positioning of medical devices. For example, an ultrasound transducer may be equipped with a needle guide to facilitate a needle being inserted at the proper angle of attack to reach tissue which is being imaged using an ultrasound imaging device. However, procedures benefiting from such guides often account for only a small portion (e.g., 10%) of the procedures which use such ultrasound imaging devices. Accordingly, such guides appended to an ultrasound transducer may be unneeded, and thus undesired (or perhaps even interfering), much of the time the ultrasound imaging device is used.
Some guides have therefore been adapted to be removable from the ultrasound transducer. Such removable guides have employed structure added to the surface of ultrasound transducer assemblies to facilitate their being retained on the ultrasound transducer in a proper orientation. For example, surface protuberances, such as dimples and/or pimples, may be placed on the outer surface of the ultrasound transducer and corresponding surface protuberances placed on the inner surface of a guide bracket in order to provide feedback regarding the proper positioning of the guide bracket on the ultrasound transducer assembly.
Surface protuberances on devices used in medical procedures, such as ultrasound transducers, have been found to be undesirable to the users thereof. For example, such devices are often handheld and surface protuberances present irregularities in the surface, thereby resulting in stress points experienced by the users. Where such devices are used more commonly without optional structure, such as the aforementioned guide bracket, being disposed on the device, discomfort associated with such stress points can be particularly problematic.